Study of the influence of road traffic emissions on air quality in sensitive areas of the Bucharest city, using Breeze Aermod software

Abstract

Road traffic is one of the main causes of pollution in big cities due to a large number of vehicles and crowded intersections. Also, the lack of green spaces and the topography of the land can cause the accumulation of pollutants at the local level. Considering the increasing concern regarding the negative impact of air pollution on the health of the inhabitants of large cities, the present paper aims to investigate the level of pollution in the areas of two educational units located near some crowded boulevards in the city of Bucharest. To carry out the work, the air quality was analyzed by in-situ monitoring of the CO, PM10, and NO2, indicators of atmospheric pollution that could come from road traffic. Also were estimate the contribution of the nearest pollution sources to the total concentrations of pollutants measured by air quality monitoring equipment. Although more traffic emission were estimated near of the first monitoring area, than the second monitoring area, still the contribution to local pollution in the case of emission sources from area 2 was higher, this aspect was the cause of the complexity of the terrain, the higher buildings surrounding the emission sources, and the lack of vegetation.